In wake of new Saudi labour policy,Kerala gears up to face influx of expats

He said Saudi Arabia,as per information received by the government,was not willing to extend the cut-off date,that ended last Wednesday,for the expatriates to leave it in the wake of implementation of new labour policy “Nitaqat”.

He pointed out that the state government had already taken up the matter with Centre and sought its intervention to see that Saudi Arabia ‘take a liberal approach and give some time’ for the expatriates,mostly unskilled workers.

Joseph said the state government was working out a rehabilitation package for the expatriates returning from Saudi Arabia,adding the Cabinet at its next meeting on

Wednesday would take up this issue seriously.

Answering a question,he said government did not have exact count of expatriates who could become the targets for deportation under the new law which mandates reserving 10 per cent of jobs even in small and medium business establishments for Saudi nationals.

As an immediate step,the government plans to conduct a survey of expatriates with the help of local bodies,he added.

The state government would also take up with Air India the possibility of providing concessional rate tickets to those who want to return,he said.

The Minister hoped that Saudi Arabia would not take a tough stand on the matter as ‘exodus of large number of workers in the lower stratum would affect the functioning of small business houses and shops.

Another important matter the Centre had to take up was that the persons who would have to leave that country should not be treated as ‘criminals’ as such a stamp on their passports would prevent them from seeking jobs in any Gulf countries.

However,he said the NGOs and other organisations in Saudi Arabia had informed the state government that ‘situation is not alarming’ as projected.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday sought the Centre’s intervention to see that Saudi Arabia took a liberal approach on the implementation of its new labour policy.

Around 5.7 lakh Keralites are working in Saudi Arabia as per a 2011 estimate.

India raises concern over Saudi’s new labour policy

Dushanbe: India today raised its concern with Saudi Arabia over its policy of reserving 10 per cent jobs for locals,a decision which will hit over 3 lakh low-and semi-skilled workers from India with a sizable number coming from Kerala.

Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamad,who is in Dushanbe,the capital of Tajikistan,to attend the Asian Development Dialogue,today met Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz,vice minister of Foreign Affairs,and conveyed the anxiety and concerns of India on the issue.

The Prince assured Ahamad that Saudi will always give the best consideration for Indians working in the Kingdom and values its very cordial relations with India.

The Saudi Minister,who is here to attend the conference,said he will bring the matter to the notice of the Labour Ministry and concerned authorities when he gets back to Riyadh.

On his part,Ahamad told the Prince that India enjoys the best of relations with Saudi and hope that no step will be taken that will adversely affect expatriates in the Kingdom.

The Indian Embassy has also taken up the matter with the Saudi Government,Ahamad siad adding,”There is no panic situation as of now. The Indian government will pursue the matter in the best possible way.”

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi yesterday said he had asked the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to take up the issue with Riyadh and its Labour Ministry and ensure that there would be no job loss for Indians on a mass scale.

The new labour policy,called Nitaqat,might lead to the denial of job opportunities for large number of expatriates from India,especially from Kerala,Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“It has come to my notice that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has initiated strong steps to implement Nitaquat law to expand employment avenues to its nationals which may ultimately lead to the denial of job opportunities for expatriates,” he said.

In 2011,2.28 million Keralites were working abroad. Of them,some 570,000 are in Saudi Arabia,a report said.